BORSC Style Guide Adapted in part from Style Matters!, the St. Olaf College Style Guide (http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/communications/style/). Who Cares? Consistency in writing unifies our voice and lets readers focus on the message, not the writing. Technically correct language also ensures that the regents and our peers take our work seriously. St. Olaf College follows Associated Press guidelines, which are the national standards for almost all written media. Referring to BORSC The first time you refer to the committee in a report, spell out “Board of Regents Student Committee.” Subsequent references can use “BORSC” or simply “we.” Right: The Board of Regents Student Committee believes that Laffy Taffy candies should be made available in all classes. Right: In a poll of three hundred students, BORSC found that ninety percent cite Laffy Taffy as their favorite candy. We also found, however, that two-thirds of Ultimate players despise the treat, preferring instead Hershey’s Kisses. Naming the regents “Board of Regents” is capitalized. When used mid-sentence, “regent,” is not, unless it is part of a title and precedes a name (see “Titles,” below). Right: Students collaborated with the Board of Regents to conduct the survey. Right: Eighteen regents and three BORSC members participated. Right: The committee was led by Regent Bob Hatch. The name of the college Right: St. Olaf College Wrong: Saint Olaf College Wrong: St. Olaf’s College Capitalization In general, avoid unnecessary capitals. Sentences read more smoothly if the eye isn’t stopped by frequent capital letters. When too many words are capitalized, they lose their importance and no longer attract attention. Right: Elm Street, St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield Boulevard Right: Elm and Oak streets, Northfield and Cannon City boulevards

Academic majors, degrees and honors Except for languages (English, French, Norwegian, etc.) and studies related to geographical areas, the names of academic disciplines are not proper nouns and should not be capitalized. This includes references to disciplines in major fields of study, programs and concentrations. Right: He is a music major who also pursued Russian area studies. Right: He majored in American racial and multicultural studies and completed a concentration in financial management. Academic departments, divisions and disciplines

Capitalize the formal names of academic departments, faculties and divisions. Do not capitalize the names of academic disciplines. Right: the Department of History, the History Department Right: the Department of English, the English Department Right: She teaches mathematics. Right: She participated in case study for the Economics Department in 2005. Right: He presented his findings to the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Faculty, one of the five divisions of the college’s academic program. Titles In text, titles are capitalized only if they directly precede the name of the individual. A title following the name of an individual or a title by itself is not capitalized. Right: President Lars W. Boe will speak at the event. Right: Ole E. Rølvaag, professor of Norwegian, will speak at the event. Right: The president, Clemens M. Granskou, will speak at the event. Right: The crowd stood as the president of the United States entered. Internet terminology e-mail Always use “e-mail” with a hyphen. Do not capitalize the word unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence or list. When including an e-mail address in text, set the address in lowercase letters and italicize. online “Online” is one word and used in lowercase letters except when it begins a sentence.